Genesis 42 (New American Standard)

Joseph's Brothers Sent to Egypt

1 Now ¹Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another?" 2 He said, "Behold, ²I have heard that there is grain in Egypt ; go down there and buy some for us ^afrom that place, ³so that we may live and not die." 3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother ⁴Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "⁵I am afraid that harm may befall him." 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, ⁶for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now ⁷Joseph was the ruler over the land ; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and ⁸bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and ⁹spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." 8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although ¹⁰they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph ¹¹remembered the dreams which he ^bhad about them, and said to them, "You are spies ; you have come to look at the ^cundefended parts of our land." 10 Then they said to him, "No, ¹²my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 "We are all sons of one man ; we are ¹³honest men, your servants are not spies." 12 Yet he said to them, "No, but you have come to look at the ^dundefended parts of our land !" 13 But they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold, the youngest is with ¹⁴our father today, and ¹⁵one is no longer alive." 14 Joseph said to them, "It is as I said ^eto you, you are spies ; 15 by this you will be tested : ¹⁶by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here ! 16 "Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is ¹⁷truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies." 17 So he put them all together in ¹⁸prison for three days. 18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for ¹⁹I fear God : 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in ^fyour prison ; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and ²⁰bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die." And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, "²¹Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen ; therefore this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying, "²²Did I not tell ^gyou, 'Do not sin against the boy '; and you would not listen ? ^h23Now comes the reckoning for his blood." 23 They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned away from them and ²⁴wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he ²⁵took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 ²⁶Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his ²⁷money ; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts ⁱsank, and they turned ^jtrembling to one another, saying, "²⁸What is this that God has done to us?"

Simeon Is Held Hostage

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 "The man, the lord of the land, ²⁹spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 "But we said to him, 'We are ³⁰honest men ; we are not spies. 32 'We are twelve brothers, sons of our father ; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.' 33 "The man, the lord of the land, said to us, '³¹By this I will know that you are honest men : leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 34 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but ^khonest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may ³²trade in the land.' " 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, ³³every man's bundle of money was in his sack ; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have ³⁴bereaved me of my children : Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin ; all these things are against me." 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my ^lcare, and I will return him to you." 38 But ^mJacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his ³⁵brother is dead, and he alone is left. ³⁶If harm should befall him on the journey ⁿyou are taking, then you will ³⁷bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."